No. 3 Baylor baseball will take on the No. 25 New Mexico State Aggies tonight and Saturday. Both games of the two-game series will be at Baylor Ballpark, and the top 25 showdown should test both teams.

Offensively, New Mexico State makes their living by drawing walks. In their 41 games this season, the Aggies have drawn 271 walks, leading the nation by over 50. They also rank No. 36 in the country in getting hit by pitches. They manage to take many free bases however they can get them.

“[They] are very good, and [they] do what they do extremely well,” head coach Steve Smith said. “When you look at their stat sheet … it will not look like anybody’s stat sheet that you’ve seen all year … they lead the world in walks and getting hit by pitches.”

New Mexico State seizes the opportunities that they are given with free base runners. The Aggies are capable of piling on runs in innings.

“They’re doing a good job of hitting with runners in scoring position and [getting] guys on base. They’re averaging about eight runs per game,” Smith said.

With this in mind, Smith stressed the importance of Baylor’s pitching staff getting ahead of batters in the count.

“Throw strike one. Throw strike one. Throw strike one,” Smith said, emphasizing the importance of first-pitch strikes. “[It] is as big a pitch in the game as there is. It won’t necessarily mean we have to change anything, and I don’t expect them to change anything. We just need to continue to be who we are and do what we’ve been doing.”

Junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley will get the call tonight. Turley is 6-0 in his 10 starts. He leads the team in strikeouts with 51, and his ERA is 1.94.

“It’s always important to win games, especially when you have a tough schedule like we do,” Turley said.

The Bears recently bounced back from a loss that ended their 24-game winning streak. The loss came to the University of Texas at San Antonio 4-1 on Tuesday.

“Coming off of the series [with] Texas A&M … everybody was pumped up about that. [Then we played] a team like UTSA who doesn’t take anybody for granted [and is] trying to beat big teams like us. It was a good win for them. It’s a bad loss for us,” Turley said.

Baylor responded with a strong outing against the University of Texas at Arlington 6-4 Wednesday.

“To come back from [the loss] the next day and beat a quality team like UTA is a good thing for us. I think we played well, for the most part, until late. I’m just glad we got the W,” Turley said.

Baylor is 36-8 overall, 18-0 in conference and 25-3 at home. While this is a nonconference game, it will help prepare the team for their final two conference series against Oklahoma and Texas.

Despite a perfect conference record late in the season, the Bears have not locked up the conference title. Texas is currently 11-4 in conference play and 24-14 overall.

No. 6 Baylor baseball will take its program-record 21-game winning streak to College Station at 7 p.m. today to take on the Texas A&M Aggies.

The series will start with an away game for the Bears, but the final two games of the series will be played at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

Junior right-handed pitcher Josh Turley will get the start in the first game against the Aggies.

Head coach Steve Smith said he isn’t going to rely on the momentum to carry his team.

“Momentum is as good as Josh Turley will be on Friday night,” Smith said. “There were a lot a lot of positives that went on [against Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi]. Hopefully that will carry over.”

Baylor is sitting atop the Big 12 standings at 15-0 in conference play. Right behind the first-place Bears is the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies are 9-3 in Big 12, which ties them with the Texas Longhorns, but a better overall record gives them the tiebreaker.

Nine of the conference wins have come at home for the Bears compared to seven for the Aggies. Both teams have played mostly home games thus far.

The Bears are riding a 15-game conference-winning streak and are the hottest team in the country.

Despite being in second place in the Big 12, Texas A&M has lost two games in a row and three of its last five. This marked the third time this season that the Aggies have lost back-to-back games, but they have yet to lose three in a row.

“Definitely excited, definitely ready, definitely have something to prove every game,” sophomore left-handed pitcher Brad Kuntz said. “[We] are just going to take it one game at a time and just keep rolling.”

The Aggies dropped a game at home to University of Texas–Arlington, won two of three at the University of Kansas and lost to Rice University in College Station on Tuesday. The recent miniature slump has dropped the Aggies to No. 13 in the rankings.

Aggie outfielder Tyler Naquin led the nation in hits last season. He earned All-American honors and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year. He has started all 37 games for the Aggies and is batting .403 with 58 hits.

Texas A&M’s best hitting infielder is first baseman Jacob House. Last season, House led the Aggies in RBI’s. This season is more of the same. House leads the team with 36 RBI’s and 5 homeruns. He is batting .336, and he has also started every game this season.

Pitching has also been strong for the Aggies this season. Texas A&M is ranked No. 18 in the country in team ERA at 2.87

In the preseason poll, Baseball America picked Texas A&M to finish first in the Big 12. It had the Aggies listed at No. 7 in the nation, with Texas at No. 13 and Oklahoma at No. 19. Baylor was not in the preseason top 25.

Baylor Basketball’s Quincy Acy will be throwing out the first pitch for Saturday’s game.

Baylor baseball has continued to claw its way up the standings. The Bears have reached the No. 6 overall ranking according to Baseball America, and the latest victim in their 19-game winning streak was the Kansas State Wildcats.

The Bears completed their sweep of Kansas State on Sunday. Baylor won the first game 5-2 on the shoulders, or rather, the arm of junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley.

Turley pitched his second complete game of his career and moved to 5-0 with the win. He notched six strikeouts, allowed six hits and just one earned run.

“He was really, really good. He threw four [types of] pitches for strikes and threw a lot of strikes,” head coach Steve Smith said. “They put the ball on the ground, and it’s a tough matchup for him, but he did a great job with it and just kept throwing strike after strike.”

Junior first baseman Max Muncy led the Bears on the offensive side. Muncy finished with three hits, including a home run and two doubles that drove in two runs.

Senior catcher Josh Ludy finished with two hits and two RBIs. Ludy’s single in the seventh inning drove in the two runs that broke the 2-2 tie.

Baylor and Kansas State began Saturday’s game at 1 p.m. After five innings, the Bears trailed 10-4. A four-run rally in the sixth inning brought the score to 10-8, but the game was postponed until Sunday while Baylor had runners at the corners.

When the game did finally resume, the Bears added one more run in the top of the sixth inning to cut the lead to one.

In the top of the seventh inning, freshman outfielder Michael Howard singled to drive in the tying run. Howard went 4 of 5 on the day and scored twice.

Junior designated hitter Nathan Orf followed with a three-run homer to left field.

The Wildcats added two runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Bears’ lead to 14-12, but Baylor was able to contain the damage. Junior right-handed pitcher Max Garner sealed the victory, pitching the final two innings without allowing a hit.

“Obviously this was a hitters’ day today, which makes it miserable for coaches and pitchers, because you know a lead is never safe,” Smith said. “There’s nothing in baseball more difficult than winning in extra innings on the road, and we got it done.”

In the final game of the series, the Bears jumped out to an early 1-0 lead only to allow five runs in the second inning.

Ludy cut the Wildcat lead to two after hitting his first home run of the day with one runner on base. Baylor added three more runs in the fourth inning. Outfielder Logan Vick, Orf and junior shortstop Jake Miller all scored in the inning, giving the Bears a 6-5 lead.

Ludy started the fifth inning with a solo home run — his second of the day. Baylor’s lead was short-lived, however. Kansas State added three runs of its own in the bottom of the fifth and one more in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-7 lead.

The Bears mounted a comeback in the eight inning after Orf was hit by a pitch and second baseman Lawton Langford walked. Ludy followed with a home run over the right field fence, his third home run of the day. The next batter, junior third baseman Cal Towey, hit a solo shot over the right field fence.

Baylor took an 11-9 lead, but Kansas State would tie and send the game into extra innings.

In the top of the 11th inning, Howard homered down the right field line to give the Bears a 12-11 lead. Baylor would hang on in the bottom of the inning to seal the deal.

“It was as competitive as it could’ve possibly been,” Smith said. “I think the world of the K-State club, because they competed so hard and made things so difficult on us, but then I think just as much of our guys. Our guys played hard, both teams played extremely hard, and it’s as good of a win as I can remember in a very long time.”

The Bears will take on Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 6:35 p.m. today at Baylor Ballpark

]]>The Baylor Lariat No. 4 junior designated hitter Nathan Orf hits the ball against the University of Louisiana-Monroe Wednesday at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears are currently on a 19-game winning streak. Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo EditorBaseball, on 16-game winning streak, has Beaver Feverhttp://baylorlariat.com/2012/04/13/baseball-on-16-game-winning-streak-has-beaver-fever/
Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:13:01 +0000http://homepages.baylor.edu/lariat/?p=18735Baylor's baseball team has not lost since March 12, exactly one month ago.No. 28 Dillion Newman fires a pitch in Baylor’s 8-7 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday. During the Bears’ 16-game winning streak, Newman is one of 10 different pitchers to record a win.David Li | Lariat Photographer

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

Beavers have played a significant role throughout the course of human history. They have made their way onto Canadian money and helped shape the economy of New Netherland.

The beavers are at it again. This time, a beaver is helping the Baylor baseball team win games. And whatever beavers do, they do well. The team’s current streak is up to 16 games. The team takes on Kansas State starting tonight in Manhattan, Kan.

“We saw the beaver in the parking lot right as the winning streak started,” junior left-handed pitcher (and unofficial team beaver expert) Crayton Bare said. “Max Muncy hit a home run, and Josh Michalec from the dugout yelled, ‘Feed the beaver!’ [The] joke is feeding the beaver with a home-run ball.”

The beaver frequents Baylor Ballpark’s parking lot. It comes up every once in awhile to eat acorns. Apparently, he has been eating his fill.

“It’s really big. It’s colossal in size,” Bare said. “The [Texas] Rangers have their antlers and their bear claw. We have our beaver.”

Since the beaver has blessed the baseball team with his presence, “feed the beaver” has caught on. Fans are wearing white T-shirts that depict a beaver holding a baseball and bat. The Baylor Beaver now has his own twitter feed. Baseball fans have been using the hashtag #FeedTheBeaver, which was trending at times over the last few weeks.

“I didn’t see it coming down to this, honestly,” junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley said. “That’s how big of a deal it has gotten. Our Dia shirts [say], ‘Feed the beaver,’ and now they’re selling them.”

Head coach Steve Smith has appreciated the energy that the beaver has brought to the fans.

“I think [the fans] have enjoyed it. It’s unique. It’s ours. He’s our beaver. They don’t have one down at A&M or Texas,” Smith said. “It isn’t going to make a difference in winning or losing.”

Interactions with the beaver have been more than passive sightings. Players have taken pictures of the animal, and junior center fielder Logan Vick has even touched it.

“I’ve actually petted the beaver before. He’s getting really fat, so he’s not too fast,” Vick said. “I went out one day after practice and he was eating some acorns … one of the guys dared me to touch him. I touched him, and I don’t know. I had two hits the next day. It might have been a little luck. If I see him again, I am definitely going to pet him.”

The beaver is wild, and the team cannot take it to away games. To continue to feed the beaver away from Baylor Ballpark, the team has purchased a toy stuffed beaver.

“[The beaver] is kind of on his own schedule,” Bare said. “We have a little travel beaver that comes with us. I guess we just like him around.”

Smith has left this beaver craze to the players but takes a comical approach to the stuffed travel beaver.

“I don’t know if somebody sleeps with that thing or not. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did,” Smith said.

Feeding the beaver will not stop when the winning streak stops. The players hope to keep it going throughout the year.

“When we do lose a game, we’re still going to say it. It is still going to be a part of what we like to use as a rallying point,” Turley said. “Regardless, win, lose, it’s still there. It’s still feed the beaver.”

Vick takes a more optimistic, albeit unlikely, stance.

“Hopefully it’s a streak thing and a season-long thing,” Vick said. “That means we’re streaking all the way through.”

The Bears next opponent, the Wildcats, are 3-6 in the Big 12 and 17-15 overall. Baylor is currently in first place at 12-0 in Big 12 play and 27-7 overall.

Amid all of the excitement surrounding Baylor’s success on the basketball court, you may not have realized the Bears have been winning on the baseball diamond.

In fact, the Bears have rattled off 11 wins in a row to move to 22-7, are first place in Big 12 play and have moved up to No. 8 in Collegiate Baseball Top 30.

“It’s definitely exciting in our dugout for sure. We’re looking forward to playing every day and getting after it,” sophomore left-handed pitcher Brad Kuntz said.

Baylor’s most recent sweep was of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The first game was a 7-4 win on Friday night. The Bears came back from an early 4-1 deficit to tie the game in the sixth inning. Kuntz earned the win in relief after the Bears added three more runs in the subsequent innings.

“That’s the nature of baseball. You get lots of opportunities to respond, and [Kuntz] was big tonight. And that’s why we put him out there; we know what he’s capable of,” head coach Steve Smith said.

A crowd of nearly 3,500 showed up to Baylor Ballpark Saturday to watch the Bears earn their second win over the Cowboys. Senior right-handed pitcher Trent Blank earned the win and moved to 7-0 on the season. Blank now leads the nation in wins.

“Trent was maybe as good as I’ve seen him this year,” Smith said. “Coming off of the last one, that’s really good to see. He bounced back from last weekend really really well.”

Baylor struck first blood in the bottom of the second inning when senior designated hitter Dan Evatt hit a solo home run to right-center field. The home run was Evatt’s second of the year and No. 20 of his career.

Junior third baseman Cal Towey also hit a solo home run to right-center field, about the same spot where Evatt hit his home run. This was Towey’s first home run of the season, and the Bears coasted to a 3-2 win.

Blank was very appreciative of the high number of fans in attendance.

“I came here because I heard this was a baseball school. People love baseball here and it’s great to see them out here and supporting us,” Blank said. “I hope they keep coming out.”

The final game of the series was a nail-biter that lasted 13 innings.

Baylor was down 3-0 and had not recorded a hit going into the seventh inning. Junior center fielder Logan Vick ended the drought with a single that was hit right back to the pitcher. Evatt followed with another single before Towey tied the game with a three-run homer over the right-field fence.

“I felt like I hit him pretty well my second at bat, [I] just lined out to center,” Towey said. “I was just trying to get the ball in the air, get the guy in, and start a rally.”

The score remained tied until the top of the 13-inning. Oklahoma State added a run to take a 4-3 lead going into the bottom half of the inning.

To start the bottom of the 13th, junior left fielder Nathan Orf reached on a single. Junior first baseman Max Muncy followed with a double down the right field line. Senior catcher Josh Ludy followed with an RBI single that advanced Muncy to third.

The score was 4-4. After Vick walked, Josh Turley stepped to the plate with no outs and the winning run on third. Turley singled up the middle to score the winning run for the Bears. The dugout emptied as the Bears celebrated their 11th win in a row.

“I was just looking for a fastball in that situation. That’s what I got,” Turley said. “All around, we’re happy with the result. We fought as a team and this is a big win for us.”

Baylor will take on Texas State at 3:05 p.m. today at Baylor Ballpark.

It took 13 innings and nearly four hours, but the No. 21 Baylor Bears earned their 11th win in a row and third Big 12 sweep of the season. The team is now 22-7 and 9-0 in conference play.

“Somebody was going to take a loss today that really played well,” head coach Steve Smith said. “That’s just the way baseball is.”

Oklahoma State struck first in the top of the forth inning. Cowboy first baseman Mark Ginther grounded out to the infield, but allowed the runner to score from third. The next batter, Gabe Weidenaar, hit an RBI sacrifice fly to right field, which allowed another run to come home.

Junior left-handed pitcher Crayton Bare replaced Garner in the top of the sixth inning.

Ginther drove in another run on an RBI single to right field after Baylor’s pitching change to extend Oklahoma State’s lead to 3-0.

Bare was pulled after facing just two batters. He was replaced by senior right-hander Joey Hainsfurther.

Baylor finally got its first hit of the game when junior center fielder Logan Vick shot the pitch back to the mound off of the pitcher’s glove. The next batter, Dan Evatt, singled through to left field, which advanced Vick to third. Junior third baseman then hit a three-run homer over the right field fence to tie the game.

“I felt like I hit him pretty well my second at bat, [I] just lined out to center,” Towey said. “I was just trying to get the ball in the air, get the guy in, and start a rally.”

This marks Towey’s second home run in as many days.

The score remained tied going into the bottom of the ninth inning. The first batter, senior designated hitter Dan Evatt hit the ball high to deep left field. The crowd stood up, anticipating a walk-off home run. The ball had the distance, but hooked just a few feet foul.

Baylor failed to score in the inning, and the game continued into extra innings.

The Bears had a chance to hold Oklahoma State scoreless in the inning, but junior left fielder Nathan Orf dropped a fly ball that would have been the final out of the top of the tenth.

Luckily for the Bears, Hainsfurther forced the next batter to pop out to second base, and the score remained tied going into the bottom of the tenth inning.

Baylor came up empty in the bottom of the tenth inning, and sophomore left-handed pitcher Brad Kuntz replaced Hainsfurther on the mound.

With two outs and a runner on second, Kuntz was called for a balk. This advanced Oklahoma State’s base runner to third. The batter hit a slow roller back to the mound and the Bears escaped the inning with no damage done.

With two outs and runners on the corners, Baylor brought senior right-hander Tyler Bremer in to close the inning out.

Bremer walked the first batter, and the second hit a line drive to center. It looked like the Cowboys would take the lead until Vick made a diving catch to end the top of the twelfth.

After failing to score in the bottom of the inning, Oklahoma State led off with a double. The runner advanced on a wild pitch by Bremer. Cowboy pinch hitter Saulyer Saxon hit an RBI single to break the tie with no outs.

Bremer was pulled with one out in the top of the 13th inning for freshman right-hander Austin Stone. Stone struck out the first batter he faced and forced the next to fly out to deep center field.

Baylor trailed 3-4 going into the bottom of the 13th inning.

To start the bottom of the 13th, Orf reached on a single. Junior first baseman Max Muncy followed with a double down the right field line. Senior catcher Josh Ludy followed with an RBI single that advanced Muncy to third.

The score was 4-4. Vick stepped to the plate with no outs and the winning run on third. Oklahoma State intentionally walked Vick to load the bases for junior pinch-hitter Josh Turley.

Turley singled up the middle to score the winning run for the Bears. The dugout emptied as the Bears celebrated their 11th win in a row.

“I was just looking for a fastball in that situation. That’s what I got,” Turley said. “All around, we’re happy with the result. We fought as a team and this is a big win for us.”

No. 21 Baylor baseball will take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a three-game series this weekend. The Bears have won eight straight and have scored at least eight runs in each game over the course of this streak.

Oklahoma State will pitch their ace on at 6:35 p.m. Friday at Baylor Ballpark. Cowboy left-hander Andrew Heaney will take the mound with a 5-1 record this season. He ranks second in the nation with 65 strikeouts and second in the Big 12 with a 1.12 ERA.

“We saw him last year. I think he came out of the bullpen last year, and he was a good arm,” junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley said. “We’re going to do our best to get the sticks rolling early and try and put a little pressure on him.”

There are many reasons why the baseball team has won eight straight games. Baseball players are generally superstitious, so some unconventional trends have started in the clubhouse.

“I’m not going to shave [my beard] until we lose, and hopefully that won’t be for awhile,” Turley said.

Junior first baseman Max Muncy has gone a different route with his game-day routine.

“I wear the same thing on game day. I wear some slacks and a Polo shirt,” Muncy said.

The team has devised a theory that starts off of the field. In fact, it starts in the parking lot. Around the day that the winning streak started, a beaver made its way from the Brazos River into the parking lot of Baylor Ballpark to eat acorns. The Beaver usually makes a daily appearance, and the players have started using the phrase, “Feed the Beaver.”

“I’ve heard about the beaver. I have not personally seen the beaver. I’ve heard numerous stories about the beaver, though. And I would like to see that beaver,” head coach Steve Smith said.

He also admitted he is not a particularly superstitious individual.

“I think Cal [Towey] gets more credit than the beaver,” Smith added.

In the series against Kansas amid the winning streak, junior third baseman Towey went 4 for 9 with five RBIs. He is third on the team in RBIs with 18 and is slugging .430. He has also reached base in 14 straight games.

Superstitions aside, the Bears have been swinging the bat well as a team. Their streak of scoring at least eight runs per game in something that Baylor has not done since 1998.

“Everyone is relaxed in there. We’re not stressing about any games that are coming up. We’re just going out and having fun,” Muncy said. “When you’re relaxed, everyone is joking about it. It helps you relieve it and just play better with it.”

Muncy is batting .337 on the season. During the win streak, the National Baseball Writers Association named him the National Hitter of the Week. Muncy scored seven runs and batted in nine more during the week. He also hit two home runs and hit .500 during this span.

Oklahoma State is only 14-11 on the year, and is 1-2 in conference play. In away games, they are just 2-8. This plays into Baylor’s hands because the Bears are 15-3 at home.

“It’s big for us because after this weekend, we don’t have another actual home series because we have the split with [Texas] A&M and Texas,” Turley said. “The road is going to be tough, but anywhere you go, it’s going to be difficult. People coming in here … it’s going to be difficult for them.”

Baylor is sitting atop the Big 12 with a perfect conference record at 6-0. All of these wins have been at Baylor Ballpark. All of Oklahoma State’s conference games have come on the road. The Cowboys are currently seventh in conference standings.

This series will mark Baylor’s annual Military Appreciation weekend. The Bears will incorporate camouflage into their uniforms to honor those who have served.

Baylor baseball wrapped up the QTI Baylor Classic this weekend, finishing 2-2 and bringing its overall record to 9-4.

The Bears kicked off the Classic with a 4-2 win over the University of California, Irvine. Junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley earned the win for the Bears, his first in three starts.

“It was a typical Josh Turley type of outing. I think it’s very much what he is like when he’s on,” head coach Steve Smith said.

The Bears dropped the first game of their Saturday doubleheader against Lamar University 8-0. Lamar scored in all but three innings.

The second game was against UC-Irvine. The Bears won 6-1 on the arm of senior right-handed pitcher Trent Blank.

“[Blank’s pitching] is unbelievable. That’s about it. I mean, hopefully he keeps it up all year because he is a big tool for us right now,” senior right-handed pitcher Joey Hainsfurther said.

Blank is now 4-0 on the season in five starts with a 0.81 ERA. Batters are only hitting .130 against him this season.

“I got in the groove and started throwing strikes and letting the defense work. That’s what happens,” Blank said.

Baylor closed out the Classic with another loss to the Lamar Cardinals. Lamar was able to jump out to an early lead again, recording five runs, two on a home run to right field by catcher Thomas Henk.

“They were swinging the bat. They swung the bat good,” Smith said. “The first inning [had] a lot of parts … that bothered me in terms of how it was going about. But really if we just play the game the rest of the way, we come back.”

The Bears were able to claw their way back from a 6-0 hole after the top of the first. Trailing 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning with the winning run on first base, junior center fielder Logan Vick struck out looking.

Freshman right-fielder Michael Howard only played in the final two games of the weekend but was 4 of 6, scored three runs, drew two walks and had three RBIs.

The Baylor baseball team kicked off their season with a 3-2 win against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. Trent Blank earned the win for the Bears. Lars Liguori was charged with the loss for Oral Roberts, and Baylor’s Dillon Newman recorded the save.

“Anytime coach tells me to get up, ill be ready. And I’ll throw strikes and let the defense work. I just trust everybody on this team, it’s a great team,” Blank said after the game. “That was a lot of fun and I’m really glad we pulled that out. I hope the fans liked it. I’ll tell you this: we had a lot of fun.”

Josh Turley, the starting pitcher for the Bears, threw 4.2 innings and allowed 2 unearned runs. Both runs came in the 5th inning on an error that allowed ORU’s Brandon King to score. A Nate Goro single to center field scored Chris Williams later that inning.

In the 6th inning, catcher Josh Ludy singled to left-center. This allowed third basemen Cal Towey to score and cut the lead in half. In the 8th inning, Lars Liguori came in to pitch for the Golden Eagles. After walking Towey, throwing a wild pitch, and walking first baseman Max Muncy, Ludy hit a double down the right field line. Towey scored on the play.

After intentionally walking center fielder Logan Vick, freshman Michael Howard came to the plate to pinch-hit for his first at bat in his college career. Howard drew a walk to give the Bears the lead going into the 9th inning.

“Coming off of the bench, it’s tough, but [the coaches] do have a lot of trust and faith in us. I just did what I had to do,” Howard said. “I think ill remember this day for the rest of my life. Just to be able to say, ‘Hey, my first college at bat, I had a game winning RBI for our opening day.’”

“When you get your chances to play, you just play. God for Michael [Howard] that he was able to draw that walk,” head coach Steve Smith added. “My only words of wisdom were ‘have fun.’”

Sophomore Dillon Newman came in to close the game out. Newman forced King to fly out and then struck out the final two batters to end the game and give Baylor their first win of the season.

Baylor will square off against Oral Roberts again Saturday, February 18 at 2:05 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark. Because the Baylor men’s basketball game will end during the baseball game, a Kansas State basketball ticket will also work for admission into Baylor Ballpark.

The Baylor baseball team is looking to redeem itself after a heartbreaking end to last season. The Bears came within one strike of winning their first regional title in six years, but a four-run 9th inning by the California Golden Bears sent Baylor into the off-season.

“I’m just excited that the season is finally here,” junior outfielder Logan Vick said. “It’s been a long off-season. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point. It’s been a long journey. It’s been a bad taste in our mouth since the last game we played — to lose like that. I’m just excited to get a chance to start a new season. A new clean slate.”

Baylor returns eight position starters and nine pitchers. Juniors Josh Turley (4-5, 3.39 ERA) and Max Garner (3.12 ERA, 8 saves) are two of the top returning pitchers. Two of Baylor’s starting pitchers last season — Logan Verrett and Brooks Pinckard — were selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the New York Mets and the Cincinnati Reds, respectively.

“We’re all really excited. It’s been a long time coming … since last year with the tough loss and everything like that,” junior pitcher and outfielder Josh Turley said. “I think were prepared for it. We spent the fall preparing for it, and these few weeks that we’ve had to get ready this spring have been really good weeks for us.”

With so many returning starting position players, opposing teams will be hard pressed to find a weak link in the Bears’ roster.

“I don’t really see an Achilles’ heel, a real glaring spot defensively. Pitching-wise, we don’t have what you might consider just a dominant guy. I don’t think we had that last year,” head coach Steve Smith said. “But I do think we have a lot of capable guys, and I think they will be prepared and hopefully we can do a good job of putting them in positions to be successful.”

This year’s team includes nine freshmen, though few of them will be given major roles.

“I’m not going to put an ‘impact tag’ on anybody, but I think [outfielder] Adam Toth will be in our lineup to get us started. He brings speed to the table,” Smith said. “I think at some point in time, we will get a taste of [outfielder] Michael Howard and probably [outfielder] Logan Brown. I don’t know that we’re going to weigh heavy on any freshman arms, but I think we’ve got some that, over the course of this kind of season, they will do some things.”

The Big 12 Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll picked Baylor to finish fourth in the conference for the second year in a row. Baylor received 42 points, placing them behind Texas A&M (64), Texas (56) and Oklahoma (48).

The Aggies, Sooners and Longhorns are all ranked in the top 25 nationally according to the USA Today/ESPN College Baseball 2012 Preseason Poll.

The Bears begin their season at 4:05 p.m. today at Baylor Ballpark. They will begin a three-game series against Oral Roberts.

“I’m three years into [my college career], but there is no feeling like opening day. It’s a different kind of nervousness, it’s a different kind of excitement, and [we’re] just ready to get going,” Vick said.

Big 12 Conference play begins March 16 against Texas Tech at Baylor Ballpark.

“Right now we’re just imagining winning the first game [today], but in the long term, it’s definitely going to have to be winning the Big 12 Championship as our first goal, and then host the regionals as our second goal,” said junior first baseman Max Muncy.

]]>The Baylor LariatJunior looks to be BU’s ace in the holehttp://baylorlariat.com/2012/02/17/junior-looks-to-be-bus-ace-in-the-hole/
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:15:21 +0000http://homepages.baylor.edu/lariat/?p=15668No. 32 pitcher Josh Turley tosses the ball during the game against Texas State on Mar. 1, 2011, at Baylor Ballpark.Lariat File Photo

By Savannah Pullin
Reporter

He holds multiple spots in the Baylor record books.

If you don’t know who he is, you probably will by the end of tonight. Junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley is set to start for the Bears tonight as they open their season against Oral Roberts at 4:05 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark.

Turley, who started playing baseball at age four or five — he can’t remember the exact year — said he has always loved being outside. He never wanted to be inside, and always tried to find some way to get outdoors.

Like most other little boys who love being outside, he wanted to play every sport possible, as if he wanted to become a miniature Jim Thorpe.

“As a kid you kind of want to do it all,” Turley said. “I actually got to pitch my first time when I was 11 years old, and it kind of took off from there.”

Few are so fortunate to be able to play the game they loved as a child and turn it in to a college career. Turley has been able to do just that, and now he is suiting up in hopes of being the Bears’ ace pitcher this season.

“We have a number of options on starters,” head coach Steve Smith said. “There may be some growing pains as they try and get comfortable and settled in, but we’ve got some capable guys and they’re extremely hard working.”

Turley’s hard work has paid off. He has now been called to fill the shoes of former Baylor pitchers whose talent sent them to the major leagues.

Last season he had 14 starts, after making the transition from the bullpen.

This season he will be expected to make many more. Luckily, he seems to enjoy that role.

“I prefer starting simply because you’re in the mindset of being a big-time player and having a big-time effect on the game,” Turley said.

Being a starting pitcher allows him to get into a routine. In the bullpen, he never knew when he would be called in.

After taking the fall off, Turley has been working hard to make sure he is able to step on the mound and light up the hitters. He said he has been focusing on regaining his strength and getting his arm back in shape.

So what demonstration of skill should Baylor baseball fans be expecting from the kid who gets teased by his teammates for having so many different pitches?

“I’ve always thought the best pitch in baseball is a change-up because it looks so much like a fastball that a hitter’s eyes will light up when they see it,” Turley said.

He has also had a little fun in the off-season discovering his knuckleball.

“It’s fun to show it on occasion because no one expects a lefty to throw a pitch like that,” he said.

As he prepares for opening day, Turley knows training and coaching will only get him so far. He personally prepares himself, but knows he must also focus on the team as a whole.

“I think it’s more mental than anything,” Turley said. “You just have to get yourself ready for what’s in store for this team and what you want to accomplish as a team.”

In any sport, the first game of the season is full of mixed emotion for both the players and the fans. For Turley, he’s just excited to get out there and play ball.

“There are always a few nerves for everybody, but I think it’s just more anticipation. I wouldn’t call it nervous,” Turley said.

He said he isn’t nervous, because he knows he’s good. You have to be good to play college ball.

And as he steps on to the mound for the first time this season, his mindset will be simple. Almost too simple — just play the game.

Baylor starter Josh Turley had his fans’ hearts racing in the latter stages of the Bears’ 3-2 win over Rice on Saturday, but he escaped every jam to help his team move closer to a super regional berth.

Turley went the distance, striking out seven batters and throwing 135 pitches in his first career complete game as he and his team held on to an early lead for the victory.

“I think we were all treated to an outstanding game,” coach Steve Smith said. “Both [starting pitchers] were really, really on top of their game on the mound. I think it was a great, great baseball game.”

In Saturday’s final four innings, Turley stranded four Rice baserunners and induced two double plays to evade trouble.

With the win, Turley improved to 4-5 on the season. He has tossed at least six innings in nine of his last 13 starts and has only surrendered four earned runs once in those 13 starts. Earlier in the season Turley faced Rice and lasted 4.1 innings in the Bears’ 12-8, extra innings win.

In that first game against Rice, Turley’s 4.1 innings set a new career long. Saturday he was asked if he’s felt as much improvement as his statistics imply.

“I’d like to think so,” Turley said. “I don’t think by that time I’d had a start over four innings in my career. After that, I kind of picked it up a little bit and got the ball rolling.”

On Saturday the ball rolled a lot, to the tune of 11 groundouts for Turley including a game-ending double play.

“I felt great tonight. All of my pitches were working for the most part until late in the game where I started to wear down a bit,” Turley said. “I just tried to attack and be aggressive and let our defense work, and it worked for us.”

Turley’s counterpart, Austin Kubitza, went 7.1 innings and held Baylor to five hits while he struck out nine batters.

Baylor scored what proved to be the winning runs in the first inning. Sophomore Max Muncy, who struggled to a 1 for 4 performance on Thursday, blasted a double to deep right center to score sophomore Cal Towey.

“Yesterday was a frustrating day. I had the bases loaded twice and didn’t get a single run in,” Muncy said. “When I got that first hit today, it was kind of like a piano got lifted off my shoulders. It was a lot easier to hit after that.”

Muncy was the only Bear with more than one hit on Kubitza Saturday night, hitting an eighth-inning, leadoff single to finish 2 for 3.

Junior Josh Ludy added another Bears run in the first with a single laced to center to score Muncy.

In the third, Pinckard practically manufactured another run by himself. He drew a leadoff walk and stole two bases, later scoring on Ludy’s groundout. Pinckard tallied a hit, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, one run and two stolen bases in the game.

Rice broke through in the sixth inning. Keenan Cook drew a leadoff walk, and J.T. Chargois singled to Pinckard in right. On the play, Pinckard tried to throw out Cook running for third but instead launched the ball into the third base dugout, which allowed Cook to score. Anthony Rendon then singled to score Chargois. The threat ended, though, with a double play and strikeout.

After the inning, Turley said he was discouraged and thought his night might be finished.

“[Smith] came over and asked me how I feel. My arm was a little tired, but I wasn’t going to tell him that,” Turley said.

Turley needed 28 pitches in the seventh but got an inning-ending groundout with two runners on base.

With two outs in the eighth, Turley got Craig Manuel to groundout with runners on the corners.

Baylor now has a 6 p.m. Sunday matchup with the winner of the Rice-Cal game. If Baylor loses, it has once more chance to beat its opponent on Monday and earn a trip to a super regional.

Baylor baseball coach Steve Smith said he sent a text message to one of his players at 3 a.m. Saturday morning, unable to sleep after Friday’s heartbreaking, 5-4 loss to Oklahoma.

On Saturday evening, the Bears (29-24, 13-14) gave Smith and the Baylor Ballpark fans a reason to smile, taking advantage of more solid pitching to beat the Sooners (40-15, 14-11) in dramatic fashion, 3-2.

Junior Josh Ludy, who grounded out to end Friday’s game with the potential tying run on second, received a chance at redemption Saturday and knocked a game-winning, RBI single in the ninth that gave the Bears a series win over Oklahoma.

“There’s nothing better in the world than to see that. The adrenaline’s going; it’s just a good time,” Ludy said. “You’re just so happy you found a way to win the game.”

Ludy’s single drove in sophomore Steve DalPorto, who gapped a double to left center to lead off the ninth. DalPorto advanced to third on junior Josh Turley’s sacrifice bunt, laid down perfectly despite both the first baseman and third baseman charging on the play. Sophomore Max Muncy received an intentional walk, which set up Ludy’s game-winner.

After the team broke from its postgame huddle, Smith stood outside the dugout and joined the fans in applauding the team as it walked off the field.

“It’s always gratifying when you win, and it’s always gratifying when you beat a good club,” Smith said.

On the mound, juniors Brooks Pinckard and Trent Blank combined to hold Oklahoma to two runs on six hits and stranded 10 runners. Pinckard got the start, lasting five innings and allowing four hits before being pulled in the sixth with runners on the corners. Blank let both inherited runners score on a two-RBI single that tied the game, 2-2, but he kept the Sooners off the scoreboard from that point.

Oklahoma used four pitchers, with Ryan Duke pitching the final 1.2 innings and taking the loss.

Blank also overcame a 57-minute lightning delay that paused action with two outs in the seventh and the game tied at two apiece.

“I just kept the same mindset, competing, trying to throw strikes, letting [Oklahoma] put it in play and letting my defense work. Ludy did a great job calling the game today,” Blank said.

Baylor took an early lead in the second inning when junior Dan Evatt smashed his eighth home run of the year. Evatt sent a 3-1 fastball over left field and scored sophomore Logan Vick in the process.

“It was a fastball right down the middle, and I just turned on it. It felt good,” Evatt said.

Saturday’s game was huge for the Bears in terms of their NCAA tournament standing. At 29-24 overall and fifth place in the conference, Smith and his team feel great about their chances of postseason play regardless of the outcome at the upcoming Big 12 tournament.

“I think right now we’re the fifth place team in this league, our RPI’s going to be plenty good enough and our wins against the top-25 and top-50 are as good as anybody’s,” Smith said.

Big 12 tournament play begins on Wednesday, and the Bears will face the No. 4 seed, Oklahoma State, in their first game at 9 a.m.

Baylor sophomore Josh Turley turned in a strong performance on the mound Friday night, but it was not enough following Oklahoma’s ninth-inning comeback as the Sooners topped the Bears, 5-4.

Turley used his 12th start of the season to throw eight innings, giving up his only runs on a three-run home run and striking out a career-high nine batters. He handed the ball to sophomore reliever Max Garner, who could not close the game.

Garner started the ninth with a strikeout but then allowed two singles, a double and a sacrifice fly to suffer his first blown save of the season.

After the game, coach Steve Smith could only tell Garner and the team to flush Friday’s loss from their memories.

“I know tonight that [Garner] might be the one guy that will hurt more than me. This will hurt him, and that will only make him better,” Smith said.

The loss spoiled a stellar outing from Turley, who has collected five no decisions and three quality starts that went as losses on the season.

Turley’s only tough inning Friday was the fourth. After conceding a leadoff single and a walk, he hung a first-pitch breaking ball to Garrett Buechele, and Buechele sent it over the left field wall for a 3-0 Oklahoma advantage.

From there Turley retired 13 of his final 14 hitters, including three-up-three-down innings in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth. His sixth inning took four pitches, and struck out the side in the seventh.

“Most of the strikeouts came on change-ups, which is my best pitch,” Turley said. “They were just swinging over it. And I was just trying to keep them off-balance, like I always do. I felt really good, for the most part.”

The Bears fought back in the bottom of the sixth inning. Junior Joey Hainsfurther netted his second RBI of the weekend, singling up the middle to score sophomore Logan Vick. Sophomore Jake Miller then blasted his second home run of the series, a two-run shot to left field, to tie the game at three apiece.

“I’m just looking to see the ball up. We knew the starting pitcher tonight threw a lot of fastballs. He didn’t show a breaking ball to me today,” Miller said.

Baylor took a 4-3 lead in the seventh when junior Josh Ludy’s sacrifice fly plated senior Chris Slater, who reached on a double earlier in the inning.

With Turley cruising at 102 pitches after eight innings, Smith said the decision to pull him wasn’t easy. But with Ricky Eisenberg, Tyler Ogle and Cameron Seitzer due up, followed by Buechele, Smith felt Garner was the better choice.

“Eisenberg had hit [Turley] hard twice. Ogle’s a good player; I wasn’t fixing to let [Turley] see him for a fourth time. Buechele hit the ball out of the park,” Smith said. “None of those guys faced [Garner] yesterday, and he threw less than 20 pitches yesterday.”

Although he wanted to finish the game, Turley listened and understood Smith’s explanation.

“Coach explained it to me. ‘We’re at 2-3-4 in the lineup, you’re at 102 pitches, you are tired. I would love to send you back out there, but Max can get the job done.’”

The Bears still have a chance to take the series with a 3 p.m. rubber match against the Sooners on Saturday.

“I think going into the weekend if you said you were going into Sunday with a chance to win the series, I think I would have taken it,” Smith said.

Behind another strong outing from junior pitcher Logan Verrett and a game-changing home run from sophomore Jake Miller, Baylor baseball opened its final regular season Big 12 series with a 4-2 win over No. 13 ranked Oklahoma Thursday night.

The win guarantees Baylor a plus-.500 record on the season, the mark needed to be considered for an NCAA tournament at-large bid. The Bears have two games left against Oklahoma and can only lose a maximum of two games at the Big 12 tournament because of its format.

Verrett threw 8.0 innings for the Bears (28-23, 12-13), striking out eight batters and allowing just four hits. If not for a second-inning error, Verrett might have escaped the night without surrendering a single run.

“That’s what we needed,” Verrett said of his recent success. “I knew if we were going to be any good, I needed to step up a bit. It’s tough to do that, but I feel like I’ve done pretty good.”

As it stands, Verrett has allowed only one earned run in his last 24 innings. His eight-inning performance at Nebraska on April 29 helped the Bears to a 6-2 win, and Verrett received a no decision last Friday after eight innings when the Bears fell, 1-0, at Oklahoma State.

On Thursday the Sooners tagged Verrett in the second inning after junior Dan Evatt’s dropped fly ball helped set up a two-out, two-run home run for the next batter, Cody Reine. But from there, Verrett scattered three more hits and never had more than one runner on base in an inning.

“He’s got fastball command right now, and he’s doing a good job with that. I think that’s the biggest difference; he’s got command of the fastball. And when he’s got that, he’s always got a good slider,” head coach Steve Smith said.

Meanwhile the Bears, who grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on junior Joey Hainsfurther’s single, bounced back after Reine’s blast to give Verrett all the support he would need.

Miller’s heroics came in the bottom of the second inning in a nine-pitch at-bat. Miller worked the count to 3-2, fouling off four pitches and laying off two that were very close to but out of the strike zone. He sent the ninth pitch, a high and inside fastball, off the left-field foul pole for a 3-2 Baylor lead.

“That is almost like getting an inning out of the starting pitcher,” Smith said. “It was going to be a great at-bat, no matter what happened. But he finished it with that. You can’t draw one up any better.”

Miller entered Thursday tied for a team-high with 44 strikeouts. A few meetings before the game with assistant coach Steve Johnigan, Miller said, helped fix some of his struggles.

“A lot of my at-bats have been swinging [at a] strike three-slider,” Miller said. “I wasn’t even giving myself a chance with two strikes. So we reviewed that and decided I should choke up a little bit, get a little closer to the plate and battle a little more, and it’s working for me right now.”

Baylor added insurance in the fifth when Evatt doubled to left field and drove in sophomore Logan Vick. Despite having runners on base in each of their last three innings, though, the Bears could not add to the lead and finished with four runs on 12 hits.

The Bears next face the Sooners at 6:30 p.m. Friday and once more at 3 p.m. Saturday. Junior Josh Turley is expected to take the mound on Friday for the Bears, and junior Brooks Pinckard, usually the team’s centerfielder, will receive Friday off and start on the mound Saturday.

Baylor baseball and softball are both nearing the homestretch, and each squad has its eyes firmly fixed on postseason berths.

Baylor No. 35 Crayton Bare throws a pitch during the game last Friday against Missouri. The Bears won, 6-3, and travel to Lincoln, Neb., this weekend to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Nick Berryman | Lariat Photographer

Baseball faces Cornhuskers

With a 5-1 win over the University of Texas San Antonio Tuesday, Baylor baseball (22-20, 7-11) will look for its next foothold at the University of Nebraska this weekend.

At seventh in the Big 12, the Bears seek a solid grip in the 10-team conference race from which to propel themselves to a solid finish during their last three conference matchups.

With the No. 14 and No. 19 teams in the country in Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to close out the Big 12, the road trip to Nebraska (26-16, 5-9) this weekend becomes that much more important.

The Bears come off a non-conference win in which they manufactured five runs off seven hits and got a double from freshman Lawton Langford when they needed it but didn’t have many hits to spare.

“That is really the only key hit we got all game,” head coach Steve Smith said of Langford’s 2-RBI double.

When it came to the mound, Smith was a little more pleased.

Junior starter Brooks Pinckard held the roadrunners to one run in his 5.1 innings of work before senior Jon Ringenberg and sophomore Max Garner combined for 3.2 innings of scoreless relief.

“Hopefully, we can get some momentum from this,” Pinckard said. “We played great, it is not like we played bad baseball and got a win. We just have to go into this weekend with the same confidence we had tonight.”

Sitting right behind the Bears in the conference standings, the Huskers also see this weekend as a virtual must-win series if they hope to be playing in the postseason.

Junior Cody Asche leads his team from the plate with a .630 slugging percentage and conference-best 19 doubles.

After his first career start boded well for the Bears Tuesday, Pinckard finds himself facing sophomore Tyler Niederklein in the Sunday spot of the weekend rotation. Niederklein is slated to throw the first pitch at 1:05 p.m. Sunday at Haymarket Park.

Baylor No. 3 Kayce Walker fouls off a pitch during the game against Oklahoma State last Friday. The Lady Bears lost, 4-2, but remain ranked No. 17 in the country as they battle last-place Iowa State this weekend.Nick Berryman | Lariat Photographer

Softball seeks third place finish

Approaching its last five games before postseason play begins, the Baylor softball team has hopes to finish third in the Big 12 after being picked in the preseason to finish sixth.

“I think postseason wise we’re OK but you got to win ballgames,” Baylor softball head coach Glenn Moore said. “You want to finish in the top half of the conference, and we have a shot to finish third still. That’s very respectable with the strength of this conference.”

Currently, Baylor is No. 5 behind Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M and is mathematically eliminated from first or second place contention. The Lady Bears split games with both Missouri and Texas A&M while being swept by OSU and losing their only game to Texas Wednesday night.

Nationally speaking, to finish in the top half of the Big 12 would be quite the accomplishment as seven out of the ten teams are nationally ranked: No. 3 Texas, No. 8 Missouri, No. 14 Oklahoma, No. 17. Baylor and Oklahoma State, No. 19 Nebraska and No. 21 Texas A&M.

First up on the remainder of Baylor’s conference schedule is a two game road trip to take on Iowa State.

“We need to take two like we’re supposed to,” junior outfielder Kayce Walker said. “We’re on the downhill stretch. We need to get everything together before we go into post season.”

From the mound, redshirt sophomore Whitney Canion carries her squad with a 20-8 mark, a 1.24 ERA and a conference leading three saves.

From the plate, senior Dani Leal leads the team with 13 homers, 34 RBIs and .763 slugging percentage.

After that, the Lady Bears return back to Waco for their final series at Getterman Stadium as they host Nebraska May 7-8. Their last conference game will be a much-wanted rematch against Texas in Austin May 15.

Despite receiving another quality start from sophomore Josh Turley, Baylor baseball suffered from defensive miscues and a lack of offensive execution in a 4-2 loss to Missouri on Thursday night.

The loss drops Baylor to 20-19 overall, just a game above the required .500 mark for at-large bids in the NCAA tournament, and 6-10 in Big 12 play. With the win, the Tigers improved to 15-22 overall and 3-9 against conference foes.

“It’s telling that the only runs we scored were on fly balls. We just didn’t do a good job at the plate,” head coach Steve Smith said. “From my perspective, we didn’t play the game well. We didn’t execute.”

Smith said Turley did his job, however, after throwing 6.1 innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out seven batters. Turley took the loss and dropped to 2-3.

Sophomores Cal Towey and Max Muncy each smashed solo home runs over the right field wall, Towey in the fourth and Muncy in the fifth.

But Baylor could not overcome the damage on the other side of the ball, where Missouri pounced on the Bears’ mistakes to snatch the game’s deciding runs.

Turley looked to escape a fifth inning jam with one out and runners on first and second when Eric Garcia hit a potential double play grounder back to Turley. Turley spun and threw to senior Landis Ware at second, but Ware could not make the catch. The ball ricocheted into the outfield, and Conner Mach scored from second base on the play to tie the game at two.

“It’s just frustrating to know that you have the game under control, and sometimes it just doesn’t work out,” Turley said. “I felt comfortable for the most part. I felt like I was throwing a lot of my pitches where I needed to.”

During the following at-bat, Garcia baited the Bears into a rundown, and as Ware chased Garcia down and tagged him out, Jesse Santo scampered home from third for a 3-2 Missouri lead.

“Certainly you can’t find any fault in the way [Turley] pitched. The game was lost on the defensive side and with a lot of poor execution on the offensive side,” Smith said.

Baylor had multiple chances to manufacture runs but ultimately came up short. After Towey’s fourth-inning blast, junior Brooks Pinckard popped up a bunt that could have advanced junior Dan Evatt to second. Later in the inning, Smith called a hit-and-run with Evatt on second and Ware on first. The batter, sophomore Steve DalPorto, let the pitch go by, and Evatt was easily thrown out at third. DalPorto later struck out to end the threat.

In the fifth inning, before Muncy’s homer, sophomore Logan Vick squandered sophomore Jake Miller’s single by hitting into a double play on a 2-0 count.

Smith’s unhappiness with his team’s flyouts surfaced in the box score as well. The Bears flied out nine times, at least once in every inning except the fourth.

Conversely, Missouri feasted on Baylor’s errors and stuck to its own game plan for the win. The Tigers first got on the scoreboard in the fifth. Jonah Schmidt, one of only two batters in Missouri’s starting lineup with at least one home run this season, knocked a leadoff double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. He scored with Brannon Champagne’s RBI single.

The Tigers scored again in the seventh using two singles, a sacrifice bunt and a RBI groundout.

“You have to be able to execute. That’s all [Missouri] did was execute,” Smith said. “The team that executes best is going to win the game. It’s not really rocket science.”

Baylor meets Missouri again at 3 p.m. Friday. Junior Logan Verrett, who enters with a 3.53 ERA, is expected to start for the Bears.

Bears take one of three in series

By Chris Derrett
Sports Editor

Baylor starting pitcher Josh Turley wasn’t used to the media attention he got following the Bears’ 7-6 win over Texas Saturday. But if having a career day means pushing back postgame plans because of interviews, Turley welcomes it with open arms.

“I’d rather pitch well and get the win than pitch poorly and go eat dinner,” Turley said.

Turley tossed eight innings, holding the Longhorns (23-8, 8-3) to three runs on seven hits while striking out five and allowing just one walk. His innings thrown set a new career high, as did his 114 pitches.

“For us to have a chance, Josh had to be special today. And he was,” head coach Steve Smith said.

Turley’s win was sandwiched between two losses to the Longhorns, 11-3 on Friday and 5-2 on Sunday. The weekend brings Baylor to 18-15 overall and 5-7 in conference play.

Friday’s game featured a nine-run sixth inning that began with a fly ball lost in the lights and ended with fans from both Baylor and Texas filing out of the stadium. Sophomore Cal Towey hit two home runs in the game, and junior Dan Evatt added one as well.

On Sunday, Baylor held an early 2-0 lead but allowed a run each in the fifth and sixth innings and three runs in the seventh before falling 5-2.

Saturday was Baylor’s first win over Texas at Baylor Ballpark since 2005. Evatt gave the Bears the lead for good with a two-run home run that carried over the left field wall, soaring with the help of winds blowing upward of 25 miles per hour. The shot was the first allowed by Texas starter Hoby Milner this season and a game-changing play in Smith’s opinion.

“I think Evatt’s ball is the thing that really gave us some life and maybe put just a hair of doubt in [Texas’] mind,” Smith said.

Turley was particularly able to contain the Longhorns in the third inning, important against a Texas team outscoring its opponents 68-22 in the first three innings. With runners on second and third, Turley fanned Lucas Kephart and Tant Shepherd for his first and second strikeouts of the game.

“That was huge for us, because we’re fighting for everything we can get, and they’re fighting for everything they can get,” Smith said. “To get those punchouts like that was, at that point in time, pretty big.”

Baylor grabbed another four runs in the seventh with a two-RBI double from sophomore Max Muncy and a two-RBI single from junior Josh Ludy.

Baylor’s seventh inning insurance proved to be completely necessary for the win, because similar to its recent performances against Big 12 opponents, the Bears’ bullpen kept things interesting.

Junior Brooks Pinckard allowed four runners, one inherited, to score before Smith turned to sophomore Max Garner for a one-out save. Garner delivered, getting Lucas Kephart to ground out and end the game.

Considering Garner’s success thus far in the conference season, Smith said he was considering using Garner in Saturday’s game for a three-out save instead of turning to Pinckard first. The only concern was Garner’s elbow, which took a hard line drive last Tuesday in the Bears’ loss at Sam Houston State.

The injury did not seem to affect Garner on Saturday, as he threw a changeup for a first pitch strike before retiring Kephart. Such an effort has Smith reconsidering who he wants to close Baylor’s games.

“You can’t just say, ‘Pinckard’s our closer, so every time we get to the end of the game, he has to pitch,’” Smith said. “I think our best guy right now clearly at the end of the game is Max. But again, he’s not going to be perfect either.”

Baylor starting pitcher Josh Turley wasn’t used to the media attention he got following the Bears’ 7-6 win over Texas Saturday. But if having a career day means pushing back postgame plans because of interviews, Turley welcomes it with open arms. “I’d rather pitch well and get the win than pitch poorly and go eat dinner,” Turley said.

Turley tossed eight innings, holding the Longhorns (23-8, 8-3) to three runs on seven hits while striking out five and allowing just one walk. His innings thrown set a new career high, as did his 114 pitches.

“For us to have a chance, Josh had to be special today. And he was,” head coach Steve Smith said.

The win was also the first for Baylor (18-14, 5-6) over Texas at Baylor Ballpark since 2005. Baylor committed five errors in Friday’s game against the Longhorns before falling, 11-3.

Junior Dan Evatt gave the Bears the lead for good with a two-run home run that carried over the left field wall, soaring with the help of winds blowing upwards of 25 miles per hour. The shot was the first allowed by Texas starter Hoby Milner this season and a game-changing play in Smith’s opinion.

“I think Evatt’s ball is the thing that really gave us some life and maybe put just a hair of doubt in [Texas’] mind,” Smith said.

Milner left the next inning and ultimately took the loss to fall to 3-2. His counterpart, Turley, was still going strong, partly thanks to his ability to make adjustments and minimized damage.

“As long as I was trusting my stuff out there, I felt really good,” Turley said. “The first couple innings I was a little hyped up and trying to throw harder than I needed to, then I settled down and felt really great.”

Turley was particularly able to contain the Longhorns in the third inning, important against a Texas team outscoring its opponents 68-22 in the first three innings. With runners on second and third, Turley fanned Lucas Kephart and Tant Shepherd for his first and second strikeouts of the game.

“That was huge for us, because we’re fighting for everything we can get, and they’re fighting for everything they can get,” Smith said. “To get those punchouts like that was, at that point in time, pretty big.”

Baylor grabbed another four runs in the seventh with a two-RBI double from sophomore Max Muncy and a two-RBI single from junior Josh Ludy.

Baylor’s seventh inning insurance proved to be completely necessary for the win, because similar to its recent performances against Big 12 opponents, the Bears’ bullpen kept things interesting.

Following Turley’s hit batter to start the ninth inning, junior Brooks Pinckard entered the game looking to seal the win and cut his high Big 12 ERA.

He was unable to do either, allowing an RBI single down the left field line that Turley, still in the game at left field, hustled to cut off. The next batter, pinch hitter Jonathan Walsh, crushed a 1-1 fastball over right field that plated three more runs.

Smith then turned to sophomore Max Garner for one-out save, and Garner delivered, getting Lucas Kephart to ground out and end the game.

Pinckard’s 2011 ERA against Big 12 teams grew to 13.50 after Saturday’s game while Garner’s remained at 3.24.

Considering Garner’s success thus far in the conference season, Smith said he was considering using Garner in Saturday’s game for a three-out save instead of turning to Pinckard first. The only concern was Garner’s elbow, which took a hard liner on Tuesday in the Bears’ loss at Sam Houston State.

The injury did not seem to affect Garner on Saturday, as he threw a changeup for a first pitch strike before retiring Kephart. Such an effort has Smith reconsidering who he wants to close Baylor’s games.

“You can’t just say, ‘Pinckard’s our closer, so every time we get to the end of the game, he has to pitch,’” Smith said. “I think our best guy right now clearly at the end of the game is Max. But again, he’s not going to be perfect either.”

With a pitching staff still searching for consistency, Baylor baseball plays host to the No. 8 University of Texas today and Saturday before finishing up the three-game series Sunday in Austin.

“I think we know that we’re better than we have been playing right now,” sophomore right-hander Josh Turley said. “We’d like to show that to everybody else. I think we will play our best ball this weekend. I think we’ve got a little more at stake.”

On Tuesday, Turley and company watched a 2-0 lead fall in the eighth inning and then a walk-off single seal the 3-2 road loss at midweek non-conference foe Sam Houston State.

“We’re throwing a lot of strikes, but it really surprises me the number of hits we’re giving up given the changes,” head coach Steve Smith said, referencing the new rules this year that require bats to behave more like wood. “Some of our other numbers aren’t bad. We’re not walking an inordinate amount.”

The Bears (17-13, 4-5) look to redirect both an overall and conference season that has gotten off track a bit.

Baylor has won just one of the three conference series it has played thus far. All three of the series were against teams with the same or worse records in conference play.

Baylor pulled out two one-run wins over Kansas State (2-7) in Waco, but dropped two of three against Texas Tech (4-5) and Kansas (4-5).

Baylor’s own 4-5 mark in Big 12 play and its overall record nearing .500 was enough to drop them this past week from the Baseball America’s top 25 rankings, where it previously sat at No. 19.

“Hungrier for sure,” junior Brooks Pinckard said of the feeling stemming from the past few games.

Early April won’t be an easy time for the Bears to infuse a streak of wins into their season as this weekend brings the second-highest ranked Big 12 opponent to the plate at Baylor Ballpark while next weekend features the toughest: No. 6 Texas A&M.

The Longhorns return most of the pitching staff that carried them to an NCAA Super Regional in 2010.

The 2011 edition features two pitchers with ERAs below 1.00 and six with averages under 3.00.

What impresses Smith even more is the number of walks that seem few and far between.

Sunday at Baylor Ballpark handed the baseball team chilly weather and a chance to take the three game series against Kansas State.

“I think today was a great example of our team being lucky and good. We had early errors in the field we were able to come back strong on, and a huge break in the top of the ninth,” coach Steve Smith said. “There’s no other way to describe that. That’s baseball.”

Junior Trent Blank started on the mound and pitched into the sixth inning, finishing with two strikeouts.

The Baylor bats got hot in the fifth inning. Sophomore Steve DalPorto’s line shot followed by junior Brooks Pinckard’s grounder in the gap put two on for senior Chris Slater. His smash down the left field line sent both DalPorto and Pinckard home to tie the game.

Sophomore Max Muncy later singled up the middle to score Slater and push the Bears ahead, 3-2.

“Hitting is contagious; it’s one after another. You see the guys in front of you do it, and it just happens,” Slater said of his triple.

In the sixth inning, Blank handed it off to senior reliever Jon Ringenberg, who had a huge strikeout to diminish Kansas’ hope of moving their runners home safely.

When the score tied up at three runs each in the eighth, Pinckard entered to close. The inning ended when a line drive came back to Pinckard and ricocheted off his foot right to Muncy, who stepped on first for the out.

“Max Muncy was able to make a big play to end the inning when the ball bounced off my ankle,” Pinckard said. “I had no idea where it was. It was a huge break.”

All tied up in the eighth, sophomore Cal Towey grabbed a double on a Kansas State overthrow to first. But sophomore Jake Miller made the Wildcats pay with his line drive over shortstop. Miller’s RBI created an exciting play at the plate with Towey sliding safe and Baylor going ahead, 4-3.

The Bears ended the series on a double play turned by senior Landis Ware at shortstop.

Relief pitching struggles Saturday

More late-inning struggles plagued Baylor baseball on Saturday, as the Bears fell to Kansas State, 6-3.

Freshman Trae Davis took the loss after surrendering a two-run, eighth inning homer over the right field fence to Jason King. The Mexia native entered with the game tied at three, did not record an out and gave up his ninth run in his last 4.1 innings. He dropped to 3-1 on the season.

Sophomore Crayton Bare and junior Tyler Bremer finished the eighth inning, one in which the Wildcats took advantage of three walks and a hit batter to score three runs on just two hits.

Still searching for more reliability from his relievers, Smith said he knows his bullpen has the ability to throw strikes.

“I made a decision after last night’s game that today would be Trae. That didn’t work,” Smith said.

Baylor’s loss spoiled a solid day from junior starting pitcher Josh Turley, who went seven innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits. Although Kansas State did strike several times, it was never able to pounce on Turley for more than one run in any given inning.

“As a pitcher, to limit the damage in those kinds of innings is the best thing you can do. They’re going to have innings where they score a couple of runs. It’s just a matter of how you handle it, I think,” Turley said.

Kansas State reliever Tyler Sturges’ wild pitch allowed Muncy to score in the sixth inning, and sophomore Jake Miller then slapped a single up the middle that tied the game at three runs.

BU ends Friday with walk-off hit

Senior Chris Slater roped a double down the right field line in the ninth to score senior shortstop Landis Ware and capped off the defeat of the Wildcats, 5-4.

Pinch-hitter freshman Lawton Langford reached on a fielding error to start the rally in the ninth, with the Bears trailing 4-3. Two batters later, Ware singled to right-center field to score Langford and tie the game. After a stolen base that moved him into scoring position, Ware came home easily as Slater’s line drive dropped just to the left of the foul line in right field, and the mob began as the team rushed onto the field to celebrate Baylor’s fifth walk-off hit of the season.

Starting pitcher junior Logan Verrett tossed seven innings and six were scoreless. In the third inning, the Wildcats were able to score four runs on Verrett, but that would be the only inning they would do damage at the plate.

Muncy drove in the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning scorching a line drive to right center field for a triple; he scored Slater who earlier singled.

Relief pitcher sophomore Max Garner recorded his first win of the season, pitching two scoreless innings to close the game.

More late-inning struggles plagued Baylor baseball on Saturday, as the Bears fell to Kansas State, 6-3. The three-game weekend series is now tied at one game apiece.

Freshman Trae Davis took the loss after surrendering a two-run, eighth inning homer over the right field fence to Jason King. The Mexia native entered with the game tied at three, did not record an out and gave up his ninth run in his last 4.1 innings. He dropped to 3-1 on the season.

Sophomore Crayton Bare and Tyler Bremer finished the eighth inning, one in which the Wildcats took advantage of three walks and a hit batter to score three runs on just two hits.

Still searching for more reliability from his relievers, coach Steve Smith said he knows his bullpen has the ability to throw strikes.

“I made a decision after last night’s game that today would be Trae. That didn’t work,” Smith said.

Baylor’s loss spoiled a solid day from junior starting pitcher Josh Turley, who went seven innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits. Turley’s effort lessened his ERA to 4.17 on the season.

Although Kansas State did strike several times, it was never able to pounce on Turley for more than one run in any given inning.

“As a pitcher, to limit the damage in those kinds of innings is the best thing you can do. They’re going to have innings where they score a couple of runs. It’s just a matter of how you handle it, I think,” Turley said.

While the Wildcats scored early, Baylor knew it was just a matter of time before the Bears’ bats fought back at Kansas State starting pitcher Matt Applegate. The breakthrough finally came in a three-run sixth.

Senior Chris Slater started the sixth doubling down the left field line. Slater reached third on sophomore Max Muncy’s infield single and scored the Bears’ first run when junior Josh Ludy singled through the left side.

After a Joey Hainsfurther sacrifice bunt moved Muncy to third and Ludy second, Applegate was pulled. Like Turley, he would receive a no decision.

Kansas State reliever Tyler Sturges’ wild pitch allowed Muncy to scored, and sophomore Jake Miller slapped a single up the middle that tied the game at three runs.

“With us, if we’re up 10 or down 10, we’re still going to put up as many numbers as we can, especially with five walk-off hits [this season],” Miller said.

Kansas State’s Ross Kivett drove in the game’s first run on an infield single, one of four the Wildcats had on Saturday. Kivett grabbed his second of three RBI with a single in the fourth, and the Wildcats later took a 3-0 lead on Nick Martini’s sacrifice fly.

Baylor and Kansas State take the field at 12:30 p.m. Sunday for the series’ rubber match.

Baylor baseball continues its 14-game homestand as it battles Kansas State this weekend in the Bears’ second conference series of the season. Coach Steve Smith said he hopes to see more of what has brought the Bears to a 14-7 record.

“I picked them [Kansas State] to be in the top two or three in the league because they had so many guys coming back,” Smith said. “They got a tough draw to start the league going to Austin last weekend, and clearly they could have won all three games.”

Kansas State began Big 12 play last weekend at No. 5 ranked Texas, getting swept but playing all three games close. Twice the teams went to extra innings, with the Longhorns winning, 4-3, in 10 innings on Saturday and again, 6-5, in a 14-inning contest Sunday.

The Wildcats’ plate discipline and solid pitching has led to a Big 12 leading +54 strikeout ratio.

The Bears are 1-2 in Big 12 play, dropping two of three games to Texas Tech last weekend. Smith’s team looks to build on the momentum from a 6-1 win Tuesday over UT Arlington.

“I think we came out, swung it all right, pitched it really well, played defense, and I think guys were in it. So that was positive to see,” junior Joey Hainsfurther said.

In addition to the competition, Baylor will have to overcome its own trouble with a hamstring injury to sophomore left fielder Logan Vick. Vick, who is hitting .259 and has 13 RBI, was hurt in Sunday’s loss to Texas Tech.

Smith said sophomore Cal Towey will likely join the starting lineup. Like last year in which he started 1 for 24, Towey is off to a slow start in 2011, hitting just 4 for 28. But he finished 2010 at .314 and hit .395 over his last 29 games of the season.

In the batting order, sophomore infielder Steve DalPorto is expected to move from ninth to the two-hole. His goals remain the same, but his approach changes at the plate.

“As a nine-hole guy, you go up there looking for a lot of fastballs; they’re probably going to come at you more to try to get you out,” DalPorto said. “In the two-hole, there’s a little bit more off-speed. I don’t want to say more respect, but they’re trying to get you out a little bit more.”

DalPorto said, if need be, he is prepared to run more on the base paths. The Bears’ running game is off to a blazing start behind junior center fielder Brooks Pinckard’s 22 stolen bases on 24 attempts. The Bears had more stolen bases against Texas Tech (8) than all the other Big 12 teams combined last weekend (6).

“It’s a function of mainly experience,” Smith said. “We’ve had good athletes; we’ve had fast guys. Obviously Brooks is probably the biggest change in the whole deal, and it’s just him being able to take his tools and turn them into a skill.”

Towey will start in right field, and senior right fielder Chris Slater will shift to left. Things get more complicated, however, when Pinckard comes into the game to fulfill his usual role as the Bears’ closer.

“That’s kind of undecided. That one we’ve got to think about and look at what the options are,” Smith said.

When Pinckard moves to pitcher, the Bears will need another outfielder. Options Smith mentioned include junior Dan Evatt, a backup infielder, and simply not using Pinckard at all.

After surrendering only two hits and one run in his last 9.1 innings, sophomore Max Garner could be in the closer role before the season is over.

Regardless of who pitches in the late innings, Smith must see an improvement from last weekend, where the Bears gave up a combined 27 runs after the sixth inning in those three games.

]]>Baseball starts Big 12 play against Techhttp://baylorlariat.com/2011/03/18/baseball-starts-big-12-play-against-tech/
Fri, 18 Mar 2011 07:25:45 +0000http://homepages.baylor.edu/lariat/?p=4373Makenzie Mason | Lariat PhotographerJunior Trent Blank awaits the signal before delivering a pitch in Baylor’s Feb. 20 win over Oral Roberts. Blank is expected to start Sunday’s game against Texas Tech as the Bears open conference play this weekend.

BU looks to beat Raiders’ young arms

By Krista Pirtle
Sports Writer

The No. 14 Bears (12-5) baseball team is riding a seven-game winning streak as it opens conference play with a three game series against Texas Tech (12-6) this weekend in Waco.

The action starts at 6:30 p.m. today, continues at 3 p.m. Saturday and concludes with a 1 p.m. Sunday game.

“I think they’d be far less confident if we were on a seven-game losing streak,” head coach Steve Smith said. “I think they all realize that yesterday is yesterday and every game is just so different, you have to be ready to play.”

Those yesterdays are full of great moments for Baylor – sophomore Max Muncy’s walk-off grand slam against Rice on March 6, junior Logan Verrett’s 14 strikeouts on the mound last Friday against Louisiana Tech and senior Chris Slater’s walk-off single against Florida International Tuesday to give Smith his 600th career win.

Slater said Baylor is coming into the opening weekend of conference play with great momentum.

“You know, momentum is huge in baseball,” Slater said. “Just having some success in the past to build on is very big, so hopefully we will continue. I think we’re playing good team baseball and winning in different ways.”

Baylor’s No. 14 ranking by Baseball America is the highest since being ranked No. 9 in April 2009. It was never ranked last year.

For Texas Tech, the question arises as to how it will play in Waco, this being its first road trip of the season. They have never won a confernence-opening series on the road.

The first game of the series will feature Verrett on the mound for the Bears while rookie freshman David Paiz will make his first career start for the Raiders.

Verrett is coming off of his complete game where he threw to one batter over the minimum, striking out 14 and allowing only one hit. For the season as a whole, Verrett has pitched and started four games, accumulating a 2.55 ERA with 30 strikeouts and only six walks.

The second matchup will have sophomore Josh Turley pitching for Baylor and freshman Trey Masek for the Raiders.

Masek has already started to get comfortable on the rubber, holding the lowest ERA for the regular rotation of Red Raiders pitchers at 2.37 in six games and notching 15 strikeouts and seven walks on the season.

Turley has a 4.22 ERA, and this game will be his fourth start on the season.

The final matchup between these two teams will have two juniors starting on the mound, Trent Blank for Baylor and Robbie Kilcrease, who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery last season, for the Red Raiders.

“They’ve got some really good position players back,” Smith said. “It’s interesting going into this weekend looking at who they’re projecting to start with a couple of freshmen getting their first start. There’s not a whole lot you can know, but they have adequate offense. They have young arms that are good arms, but they’re just young.”

Verrett said beating any Big 12 opponent is no easy task.

“They’re going to be tough,” Verrett said. “It’s opening weekend of Big 12 play so they’ll be up to it for sure. We just hope we get a good fan base here [that will] get us riled up to play.”

The No. 14 ranked Bears baseball team got it done with both bats and arms this past weekend against Louisiana Tech to sweep the Bulldogs in a four-game home series and build a six game win-streak with conference play just a week away.

Senior Chris Slater and junior Logan Verrett led the way and earned Big 12 Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week honors, just the second time in the history of the program Baylor (11-5) players have garnered both honors in the same week.

Pitching led the way to a 6-2 win Sunday as sophomore starter Josh Turley threw his longest outing ever with a 7.1 inning stint in which he gave up the only two runs of the game. Turley kept all Louisiana Tech players from advancing past first until the Bulldogs managed their two runs in the seventh and eighth innings.

Junior catcher Josh Ludy led the efforts from the plate going 2 for 4 with three RBIs.

Saturday was anything but a pitchers’ duel as Baylor outscored Louisiana Tech 12-8. Slater made the greatest impact, managing three hits for the third straight game. Five of Slater’s teammates also pillaged the Bulldog pitching staff for multiple-hit games. Despite trailing 7-6 after the fourth, the Bears remained patient until knocking six runs home in the sixth inning.

“You just have to keep battling and pressing on, and that’s what we did today,” head coach Steve Smith said.

Friday was all about Verrett. The righty tossed a one-hit, complete game shutout to lead his squad to a 7-0 win. His 14 strikeouts tied a Baylor Ballpark record.

“This was probably the most comfortable I have felt out of any of the games I have played at Baylor,” Verrett said. “I had all four pitches working.”

Ludy and Slater each went 3 for 4.

The Bears blended solid pitching and hitting efforts to take an 8-4 win Thursday in the first game against Louisiana Tech. They got to Bulldog starter Trevor Petersen right away, putting up five runs in the first two innings. Slater caught fire with a three-hit, two-run, three-RBI game and sophomore Logan Vick added three hits, three runs and an RBI of his own. Meanwhile junior Tyler Bremer and sophomore Max Garner combined to give up just four hits and one earned run.

A week was not long enough for Baylor to forget the 13-2 pounding they took at the hands of Texas State in Waco on March 1. Last Tuesday they held the Bobcats scoreless through eight innings before putting a ninth-inning rally to rest for a 6-4 win in San Marcos.

“I thought it was a really good performance by a whole bunch of guys,” assistant head coach Mitch Thompson said. “That is as good of team win as you are going to see.”

Two weekends ago Baylor took two of three games at the Houston College Classic at Houston’s Minute Maid Park. The second win, last Sunday, came in historical fashion for the Bears.

Sophomore Max Muncy ended the Bears’ 10th-inning victory over No. 21 ranked Rice with a grand slam blasted over Minute Maid Park’s right field wall, the first Baylor walk-off home run since February 2007 against UT Arlington.

The game was Baylor’s last of the Houston College Classic. The Bears beat the University of Houston, 5-2, on Friday and fell to Utah, 4-3, on Saturday before edging Rice.

“Every player on this team, there’s nothing more they’d want than to have a situation like that,” Muncy said.

It was a long night for Baylor pitching as Texas State smacked 16 hits off of seven different Bears pitchers to defeat Baylor, 13-2, Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark.

“When you’re this early in the year, your starter goes down and then you’re behind like we were, it makes for a tough day,” head coach Steve Smith said. “I didn’t think we necessarily played poorly, but we definitely pitched poorly and in baseball that’s 80 percent of the game.”

The Bears actually struck first in the bottom of the first with quick work on the base paths by junior center fielder Brooks Pinckard.

The leadoff hitter bunted his way on before stealing second and third bases to set up the opportunity to advance home on a pass ball by Texas State starting pitcher Travis Ballew.

“Coach Smith was pretty much telling me to bunt and make them make a play, that’s what I did,” Pinckard said. “[I] got a good jump, got to second, got to third. I’m just trying to get a little spark on the team.”

The Bobcats wasted no time answering.

They got to Baylor starting pitcher Tyler Bremer in the next inning as the middle of the order knocked three singles and a double into the outfield to bring in three runs.

It didn’t get better for the junior in the third as he gave up a double and two walks to load the bases before giving way to sophomore lefty Josh Turley.

Turley struck out one, but gave up a base-clearing double to Cory Falvey as Pinckard dove for the looper in shallow center but missed the grab.

“[We] didn’t make the big time plays when we needed to,” Pinckard said. “Including me in the outfield. I should have caught that ball.”

Cody Gambill drove one more run home to bring it to 7-1 before Turley brought the four-run Bobcat inning to a close.

Turley kept them quiet in the fourth, but Turley’s successors, freshmen Trae Davis and Doug Ashby, gave up two runs apiece in the fifth and sixth.

Texas State did its final damage in the seventh against sophomore Steve DalPorto.

The right-hander who typically plays infield got Kyle Kubitza to ground into a double play, but gave up a 2-RBI double to the next batter, designated hitter Jeff McVaney. A flyout to left field ended the inning at 13-1.

The Bears brought one more across in the eighth as Nate Goodwin drove home Dan Evatt with a single.

The new, wood-imitating bats had brought fewer hits and shorter games for the Bears until tonight.

The more than three-hour affair will be forgotten as soon as possible for all Bears involved.

“To give up sixteen hits with the bat they are swinging this year, you pitched bad,” Smith said. “We don’t speak of this one again.”

In addition to Pinckard’s two hits and two walks, junior catcher Josh Ludy managed a pair of hits of his own but admits there is not much to take away from a game like this.

“Definitely a disappointing game,” he said. “But we’ve just got to try to flush it and step up this weekend.”

No. 16 Baylor dropped its first midweek game of 2011 to No. 4 TCU Tuesday, picking up just two hits in the 2-0 loss where the newly enforced bats made an impact on hitters from both squads.

“I thought the arms for both sides threw well today,” head coach Steve Smith said. “This was a prime example I think of the effect the bat has on the game this year. The hitters hit the ball well, but the fly balls are not going to go like they used to.”

In his first two at bats, sophomore first baseman Max Muncy sent deep fly balls back to the warning track that likely would have sailed out for homeruns with the old bats. Though still metal, the new bats feature a smaller sweet spot that results in contact more typical of wooden bats.

“If you want to hit fly balls out of the park now, you’re going to have to be a man. You’re going to have to be a big man,” Smith said. “They [TCU] hit several the same way.”

TCU took advantage of a single and a walk by Baylor sophomore starter Josh Turley in the fourth inning. Joe Weik bunted over the baserunners and both scored on a single to right-center field by shortstop Taylor Featherston.

“The first three innings I was cruising along pretty well,” Turley said. “As far as the fourth inning, there were a few instances where I stayed on the outside corner and I just didn’t get the balls where I wanted to go. That one mistake ended up costing us.”

Turley finished out the fourth without any further runs scored, but gave way to three fellow youngsters.

Freshman Brad Kuntz tossed two scoreless innings to close the night in his first taste of collegiate baseball.

Kuntz tallied four strikeouts in the seven batters he faced.

“Kuntz struck out two guys an inning his senior year in high school,” Smith said. “Maybe he just strikes out two guys an inning. Maybe if that’s what you do, it’s just what you do. It was good to get those young guys out there and it still be a game.”

Baylor finally managed its first hit off of TCU freshman starter Andrew Mitchell in the sixth inning when sophomore Jake Miller knocked a bouncer up the middle for a single.

The Bears got no further that inning as the next batter, sophomore Steve DalPorto, sent a line drive straight to TCU shortstop Taylor Featherston, who then doubled up Miller with a throw to first.

The Bears would again see a base runner doubled up on a line drive in the seventh. Junior Brooks Pinckard earned his first double of the year with a hit that bent down the first base line.

Pinckard’s attempt to steal third cost him, though, as sophomore Logan Vick hit a line drive to first, allowing for an easy throw to second for the double play.

As a pitcher, Kuntz believes there was nothing complicated about Mitchell’s effectiveness.

Junior Logan Verrett had a forgettable night on the mound, surrendering four runs and six hits in 3.0 innings. Offensively Baylor managed six hits, four through the first seven innings.

“When a team puts seven runs on the board, gets 11 hits, does what [Oral Roberts] did tonight, you’ve got to give them credit, but you pitched poorly,” coach Steve Smith said.

The NCAA’s new mandated bats, designed to make college baseball’s metal bats behave more like wooden bats, did not seem to affect Oral Roberts.

The Golden Eagles blasted Verrett in the top of the third for four doubles. The second, a Brandon King shot down the right field line, drove in the game’s first two runs.

Nick Baligod’s double to right center brought home another run, and Baligod scored himself on junior Joey Hainsfurther’s passed ball.

“You feel like you’ve got to have a great outing, set the bar high for everybody else. I didn’t do that.” Verrett said.

Verrett said he tossed a bullpen session Tuesday where nearly every pitch hit the desired location. Friday he struggled to locate his fastball, and he was unhappy with his decisions on the mound.

“I should have shaken off a few more pitches than I did. I don’t know if I shook off any tonight,” Verrett said.

There were no pitches called from the dugout. That left Hainsfurther, catching full-time for the first time in his life, to call pitch types and locations.

Prior to the season, many coaches and players thought small ball would play a big part in the offensive game. Oral Roberts had that down pat as well.

In the sixth inning with Baylor sophomore Josh Turley on the mound, two singles set the table for Joey Winiecki, who singled to right and notched an RBI. Another run scored on the play off sophomore Cal Towey’s fielding error.

Three of the Golden Eagle’s runs were scored by runners who reached on walks, something else Smith said decided the game.

Baylor’s first run came in the home half of the third, when sophomore Max Muncy reached on a fielding error and junior Brooks Pinckard scored.

Junior Dan Evatt’s eighth-inning double down the left field line knocked in another two runs, but reliever Sean Johnson later struck out three straight Baylor batters to end the threat.

“That would have been a huge momentum switch,” Evatt said about potentially cutting the deficit further. “It was unfortunate, but we’ll shake it off.”

All things considered, Smith felt the new bats have pushed college baseball closer to its big league counterpart.

“Whatever you have seen happen in Major League Baseball with a wood bat, you can expect to see here, just at a lesser level. The game, I think, will look a lot the same, and this game tonight looked almost identical,” Smith said. “

Baylor and Oral Roberts meet again at 2 p.m. Saturday for the second time in a three-game series.

Coach Steve Smith spoke at length Wednesday about his team’s upcoming baseball season. But by the end, it seemed the 17-year Baylor coach had more questions than answers.

“I think these are the type of players that the game will bring out the best in them, and so I am just curious to see if I’m right,” Smith said.

Unlike recent years, where the Bears had to find bats to replace lost power and consistency, Smith faces mysteries on the mound and in the field that will unfold as Baylor approaches conference play.

Expecting the unexpected could be the understatement of the year.

Bat rule could alter strategy

An NCAA ruling on baseball bats has already made a marked difference across the country.

A new Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution standard (BBCOR) essentially requires all collegiate bats to more closely mimic their wooden counterparts in terms of power and distance. Coaches and players expect fewer home runs and lower batting averages as a result, which could create shorter games and change base-running tactics. The bats must carry the logo of approval displayed above.

New swing, new ping

Wherever college baseball is played, nobody can avoid it. Batted balls that would soar over the fence in 2010 now fall short for routine popflys. Good hitters come away empty handed when they thought, for sure, they hit the sweet spot on their bats.

With increases to run production and safety concerns, the NCAA mandated a revolutionary change to bats effective this season. The new Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution standard was introduced to make metal collegiate bats perform more like wooden bats.

The result is less power across the board and fewer solid base hits.

Some coaches, like 2009 champion LSU’s Paul Mainieri, oppose the new bat.

“I don’t think we need to have wood-level bats in the college game,” he told Baseball America in a September 2010 article.

Smith embraces the change. He compared it to a hypothetical golf driver that would allow players to drill 450-yard shots.

“You don’t have to do anything anymore with your irons. You just eliminate them from the bag. That is what has happened in baseball,” Smith said. “We’ve basically, for all intents and purposes, eliminated iron play, and I think now we have got iron play back.”

Smith pointed to the positives at teaching fundamental baseball, like utilizing a better running game with baserunners, as a possible impact of the rule change.

Veterans return

One area in which the Bears have little or no concern lies in their returning position players. The Bears return seven, including seniors Jake Miller and Landis Ware, juniors Joey Hainsfurther and Brooks Pinckard, and sophomores Max Muncy, Cal Towey and Logan Vick,

Muncy, who blasted 11 home runs last year, is expected to take full-time duties at first, while Miller and third base and Ware at shortstop anchor an experienced infield. Sophomore Steve DalPorto will get the initial nod at second base after 18 at-bats in 2010.

Vick, Pinckard and Towey will roam the outfield.

Known for his blazing speed on the basepaths and on the radar gun, Pinckard will begin the season in the closer role once again. Fans have grown accustomed to watching Pinckard warm up in the outfield during timeouts, something Pinckard looks forward to again.

“They were trying to expand my innings a little bit, get my stamina up a little bit, so I can throw back-to-back days if I need to, compared to last year, when I needed to take a day off in between,” Pinckard said.

Pinckard later voiced his excitement about the potential emphasis teams put on small ball with the new bats. He was caught stealing just twice in 20 attempts last year.

Hainsfurther also accepted a new challenge in the offseason, moving from the infield to catcher.

“I’ve kind of kept up with it all my life, all my baseball career. I’ve always had it in my back pocket if I ever needed to use it,” Hainsfurther said.

Replacing the innings

Other than Hainsfurther learning the catching game, Smith’s biggest question mark comes on the mound, where Baylor will have to find a way to replace 45 percent of its 2010 innings.

“I have less concern about that, number one because the bat is going to mediate some of that and number two, I like our pitchers,” Smith said.

Senior Jon Ringenberg will also join the rotation after a 5-0 season with a 3.69 ERA.

From there the list of candidates lengthens, with juniors Trent Blank and Tyler Bremer, sophomore Josh Turley and freshman Dillon Newman all having a chance.

Looming over every pitcher’s head this year will be runners looking to advance in any way possible. Although the lack of hitting brought by the new bats is expected to make pitchers’ jobs easier, the mental cat-and-mouse game between them and baserunners will be more important than in any recent years.

“Everybody is going to have to deal with defending the short game more, but we have always worked that. We have always done it,” Smith said.

Smith’s staff ace, Verrett, said there’s no option but to adapt.

“You’ve got to learn to pitch differently to the batters because of it,” Verrett said.

Opening day

No matter their years of experience, each of the Bears still feels the same anticipation to get the ball rolling on another season.

“I’m already feeling it right now, still a couple of days away, maybe a little less than freshman year,” Ware said. “But as far as any other year, it’s still the same feeling. We’re all still excited to get out there.”

Awaiting the Bears is an Oral Roberts team Smith commends for its strong pitching and competitveness.

“I promise you their pitchers love the [new] bat, and [Oral Roberts coach Rob Walton] can really help them in terms of pitch selection and how they will work hitters. It will be a real big challenge for us offensively. We will have to be very good pitching,” Smith said.